LinkAges Community Hubs
Help to create a meaningful intergenerational community hub
Easter term 2019
Cambridge
What is LinkAges Community Hubs?
LinkAges Community Hubs is a project between Cambridge City Council and Cambridge Hub which aims to create a meaningful intergenerational community and tackle social isolation among vulnerable elderly adults. Nationwide, around 10% of old people feel lonely often or always; over half of all people aged over 75 live alone; and over half of elderly people say the television is their main form of company. Loneliness has a severe impacts mental health and cognitive decline, as well as physical health. Intergenerational contact is extremely effective in helping isolated people feel in touch with their local communities and society as a whole.
The project hopes to develop a range of initiatives, which will emerge organically, through the monthly Hubs, based upon the balance of skills and interests present within the resident and volunteer community, and bolstered by training and engagement from Cambridge Hub and national co-housing experts.
How can you get involved?
If you are passionate about integrating into and building community outside of University contexts, and are concerned about the wellbeing of an ageing population, please get involved!
We are looking for a team of PhD students to take on a range of roles to develop the LinkAges Community Hubs project, through coordinating and facilitating Hubs for sheltered housing residents and isolated residents in the local area. You will gain experience in leadership and project development and be trained as volunteer coordinators with a Human-Centred Design approach; you will deepen your understanding of intergenerational issues and the challenges faced by vulnerable elderly adults and gain the skills and experience needed to tackle some of these challenges.
Student volunteers will work as a committee, working on the project with the support of Cambridge Hub, taking ownership over the following strategic areas:
Planning Roles
- Liaising with City Council and Cambridge Hub staff to fix dates, plan general content
- Arranging logistics for any events outside the Hub
- Working with the City Council to check compliance around Health and Safety, risk assessments, DBS checks etc.
Strategic Roles
- Outreach within the local community
- Liaison with local organisations working in related fields
- Impact measurement and project evaluation
Facilitator Roles ( this would be on a rolling basis, with one or two core students present at each session)
- Setting up the session alongside residents
- Helping people get to the sessions, e.g. walking with them from their homes
- Facilitating session content and/or introducing and supporting external speakers/facilitators
Initially, you will work with Mansel Court Hub, attending and supporting two of their monthly events - a historical talk at 2pm on 22nd May and an outreach session led by the Fitzwilliam Museum at 2pm on June 26. This will lead to interviews and focus groups with participants, programme design and working with the City Council towards the full launch of a new Hub in the autumn.
There will be an introductory session at 5pm on Thursday 16 May in the Cambridge Hub office on the 1st floor of 3 Laundress Lane.
Accessibility
Cambridge Hub is committed to making our activities inclusive to all students. We can make reasonable adjustments to application processes, selection workshops, training sessions, volunteering projects and other activities on a case-by-case basis.
We also provide ongoing support for the students we work with, so if you have particular accessibility needs, including special educational needs, please do get in touch with Ellie at eleanor.chapman@cambridgehub.org and let us know how we can make the activity more accessible.
Travel expenses
All volunteer travel expenses are reimbursed.
How can I apply?
Apply online following the link above as soon as possible!
| Strategic Partner | Strategic Partner |  | |
© Cambridge Hub is a branch of Student Hubs, a registered charity in England and Wales, number 1122328.